Rumor: Charles Hudon has quit on the Canadiens.

It seems as though 26 year old forward Charles Hudon is hell bent on not playing for the Montreal Canadiens next season. 

According to a breaking news report from National Hockey League insider Renaud Lavoie, Hudon appears to have walked out on his team, at least for the time being. Lavoie reports that Hudon intends to sign a contract with a team in Switzerland for next season, although he did not directly confirm which team that would be. He did however indicate that Hudon was in Lausanne at the time of his report and added that the player was waiting on a visa that would allow him to sign the deal, something that would appear to be a formality now based on this report.

The move actually isn't that crazy for Hudon given the uncertainty about what will come next for the NHL and how the next season in the league will unfold. This will allow him to spend time in Switzerland, getting paid to play,  and it will also serve to keep him in excellent shape for when the NHL season does eventually roll around. There's also the fact that this could in theory make it easy for the Canadiens to trade Hudon, who's agent has gone on record stating that his client wants to be traded, as he will be showcasing his skill set out on the ice while playing in Switzerland. I do have to wonder however. with so much money spent in free agency already how many teams are really going to be interested in adding him to their roster in this current climate?

If a trade does not materialize it does sound like Hudon intends to spend next season in Switzerland, determined not to return to play for the Canadiens organization it would appear. When his season in Switzerland does come to an end he however could in theory return to the Montreal Canadiens, assuming both he and the Habs had a mutual interest in that arrangement, and if he doesn't the Habs could simply refuse to trade him barring any path to return to the NHL next season.

This decision from Hudon could also be a tactic from a restricted free agent who has very little leverage to apply more pressure on his team to get a trade done.